Iraq’s parliament passed three contentious laws on Tuesday, including amendments to the personal status law that opponents claim could effectively legalize child marriage.
The amendments grant Islamic courts greater authority over family matters such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance. Activists have criticized the changes, arguing they undermine Iraq’s 1959 Personal Status Law, which unified family law and introduced safeguards for women.
Proponents, primarily conservative Shiite lawmakers, defended the amendments as a way to align legislation with Islamic principles and curb Western influence on Iraqi culture.
Currently, Iraqi law sets 18 as the minimum marriage age in most circumstances. The new amendments, however, allow clerics to rule based on their interpretation of Islamic law, which in some cases permits the marriage of girls as young as nine, as per the Jaafari school of Islamic law followed by many Shiite authorities in Iraq.
In addition to the civil status amendments, parliament passed a general amnesty law perceived as favorable to Sunni detainees but criticized for potentially protecting individuals involved in corruption and embezzlement. A land restitution law aimed at resolving Kurdish territorial claims was also approved.
Human rights activist and member of the Iraqi Women’s League, Intisar al-Mayali, warned that the amendments to the civil status law could severely impact women and girls, particularly through the marriage of young girls. She argued it would undermine their rights as children and disrupt protections related to divorce, custody, and inheritance.
The parliamentary session ended in chaos, with accusations of procedural violations. A parliamentary official, speaking anonymously, claimed that half the lawmakers present did not vote, breaking the legal quorum. The session reportedly saw protests, with some members loudly objecting and others climbing onto the parliamentary podium.
Some legislators voiced concerns about the voting process. Independent MP Raid al-Maliki stated that his bloc supported the civil status law amendments but criticized the decision to combine the three controversial laws into a single vote, noting it could lead to legal challenges in the Federal Court.
Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani described the laws’ passage as a significant step toward enhancing justice and improving citizens’ daily lives.
Separately, at least three officers, including the national security chief of the al-Tarmiyah district north of Baghdad, were killed in an explosion at an ammunition depot. A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said four others were injured during the incident, which occurred as Iraqi army and national security forces conducted an operation in response to intelligence reports of Islamic State activity and an ammunition cache in the area.
(With inputs from CNN)
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